Why Are Some Flight Attendants So Rude? It Puzzles Me, Sometimes…

Before I get into this post, let me state that I have a lot of respect for flight attendants. A majority of them do a great job, and they work long and hard hours, dealing with a lot of complicated passengers, and often they’re not well paid. So I don’t want to in any way diminish what they do to keep the industry running.

That being said, in this post I’d like to talk more broadly about the normalization of really rude flight attendant behavior, brought to mind by an email I received from a reader. Admittedly a small minority of flight attendants act this way, and I imagine most hardworking flight attendants are as horrified by this behavior as I am.

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Absurdly rude American flight attendant “greets” passengers

Reader Josh recently flew American from New York (JFK) to London (LHR) with his parents, on a Boeing 777-300ER. While he shared a variety of anecdotes about the flight, one thing stood out to me, in particular:

The greeter at the L2 door could not have been more rude. When we boarded the aircraft, all three of us were together and we told the crew member that. My dad, who is older, was the last of the three of us to board. The crew member asked for his boarding pass (standard practice, I get it) and my dad mentioned he was with my mom and I.

The crew member then said “I didn’t ask who you were with and I don’t care. Boarding pass is what I asked.” My dad, frazzled, then had to get the boarding pass on his phone. The crew member then let out a long sigh and went “can you speed this up?”

I understand that boarding is a tedious process and everyone has bad days; however the flight was nearly empty and the boarding group after us had yet to even be called to board, so there was not anyone behind him. After my dad managed to get the boarding pass up, the crew member simply pointed in the direction my dad was to go.

Now, that was only the start of the issues on that flight, but I’d like to focus on that…

It’s a shame that this kind of behavior is tolerated

The level of rudeness exhibited by this “greeter” flight attendant is just reprehensible. Admittedly I understand what his intention was, which was to board efficiently and figure out which aisle everyone should go down (otherwise there’s not generally a requirement to show boarding passes on American flights). However, to greet any customer this way, let alone an elderly customer who isn’t intentionally trying to slow things down, is just awful.

What’s so unfortunate about this is that the flight attendant who greets you at the door really sets the tone for the flight. Sometimes you’ll have an absolute gem at the door, who is smiling, warmly greets each passenger, engages in small talk, compliments passengers, etc. What a lovely ambassador those people are for the brand.

Meanwhile in situations like this, you get exactly the opposite. How can you feel anything but unwelcome when one of the first company representatives you interact with acts that way?

What I find so interesting about this is that if you walked into any other business and were treated this way, you’d walk right out. No one wants to do business with a company where they feel actively unwelcome, unless there’s simply no other choice. I’m sure that same flight attendant would be miffed if he walked into a restaurant and were “greeted” that way by the host.

Yet in the airline industry, there’s a much higher tolerance for behavior that would in any other context be considered unacceptable. And I even feel bad for the people who have to work with flight attendants like this, because I’m sure they’re just as horrified.

Why is there such a tolerance for this kind of behavior?

• At US airlines, flight attendants don’t have a direct superior onboard, and it’s not like there are security cameras, so there’s not much accountability on the aircraft
• Flight attendants have the unique role of being in both the business of safety and service, and that means there’s more tolerance for poor behavior, in the name of safety
• Passengers aren’t generally going to confront flight attendants who act rudely (that’s not going to end well), so in some ways, that just emboldens that kind of behavior
• Due to a combination of these factors, plus the heavy unionization of these workforces, it can be hard for management to hold employees accountable, even if there are reports of rudeness or poor service

I really think some airlines underestimate the extent to which these kinds of interactions can leave a customer with a negative impression. The most fundamental thing American needs to change is its service culture, because incidents like this just shouldn’t happen. Then again, you’ll find some bad apples at all US airlines.

Bottom line

Service at US airlines is consistently inconsistent. What amazes me is how poor the service can be at times, though. An OMAAT reader shared an experience whereby the “greeter” flight attendant on a recent transatlantic American flight would’ve struggled to be ruder to an elderly passenger. Not only is it not a nice way to treat another human, but it’s amazing that anyone thinks this is acceptable in what’s fundamentally a service interaction.

I do wish there were more accountability for situations like this. For that matter, I feel bad for flight attendants who care, who have to work with colleagues like this, because I can’t imagine that makes for a great work environment.

What do you make of these kinds of flight attendant service issues?